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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fall — to drop
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bank — for money
  17. fall — the season
  18. bank — for money
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. last — finally
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com